Handheld apparatus and method for trimming a plant

ABSTRACT

The present application provides a handheld plant trimming apparatus. The handheld plant trimming apparatus, in one aspect, includes a wand having a longitudinal axis. The wand includes a wand inlet tube defining a void and an elongate slot, an outlet port having a through bore parallel to the wand longitudinal axis and an outlet bore where the outlet bore is in fluid communication with the void, and a handle. A cutting element is contained in the wand inlet tube and coupled to a motor to provide rotative force to the cutting element. A drum is in fluid communication with the wand and a vacuum pulls plant parts that are cut by the cutting element from the wand to the drum.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/937,061, filed Feb. 7, 2014, titled HANDHELDAPPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TRIMMING A PLANT, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference as if set out in full.

BACKGROUND

Small volume agricultural crops need to be harvested similar to a highervolume or a mass produced volume of crops. Unfortunately, most of theharvesting tools are not viable or economical for the harvesting ofcertain spices and herbs, such as for example, rosemary, mint, oregano,basil, cilantro, medicinal herbs, and the like. It is often necessary tohand trim with a scissor (or pick) the flowers and plants associatedwith these crops, especially when smaller volumes are produced.

Hand trimming crops often involves using a scissor to cut, rather thantear, portions of the plant while manipulating the crops. This is alabor intensive process that can become manually taxing over time asmore product is handled and trimmed To facilitate the process, manytools and devices have been developed to automatically trim plants, forexample, separating the leaves from the stems. One particularlyeffective automatic plant trimmer is described in International PatentApplication WO 2013/090779, filed Dec. 14, 2012, titled PLANT TRIMMINGAPPARATUS AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein as if set out in full. WO 2013/090779 provides arelatively large container and a series of grates, blades, and fans totrim the product. A unique bagging system allows the constituentcomponents of the plants being harvested to be separated. The planttrimmer of WO 2013/090779 is not a hand trimming device, however.

Automatic trimmers, such as the above described automatic trimmer, areoften expensive and more effective at higher volumes of plantharvesting. While the above described plant trimmer is effective, handtrimming of plants is still gentler on the plants and more costeffective for lower volumes.

Accordingly, there is a need for a handheld automatic trimmer that ismore cost effective for harvesting plants.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary, and the foregoing Background, is not intendedto identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subjectmatter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The technology of the present application provides a handheld planttrimming apparatus. The handheld plant trimming apparatus, in oneaspect, includes a wand having a longitudinal axis. The wand includes awand inlet tube defining a void and an elongate slot, an outlet porthaving a through bore parallel to the wand longitudinal axis and anoutlet bore where the outlet bore is in fluid communication with thevoid, and a handle. A cutting element is contained in the wand inlettube and coupled to a motor to provide rotative force to the cuttingelement. A drum is in fluid communication with the wand and a vacuumpulls plant parts that are cut by the cutting element from the wand tothe drum.

These and other aspects of the present system and method will beapparent after consideration of the Detailed Description and Figuresherein.

DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention,including the preferred embodiment, are described with reference to thefollowing figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout the various views unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 depicts a functional block diagram of an automatic plant trimmingsystem consistent with the technology of the present application.

FIG. 2 depicts the wand of the automatic plant trimming system of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 depicts a cross section view of the wand of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of a portion of the wand of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of a cutting element consistent withthe technology of the present application.

FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of a driver hub consistent with thetechnology of the present application.

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of the driver hub coupled to thecutting element consistent with the technology of the presentapplication.

FIG. 8 depicts a perspective view of an idle hub consistent with thetechnology of the present application.

FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of the idle hub coupled to the cuttingelement consistent with the technology of the present application.

FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of the cutting element slidablyreceived in a portion of the wand consistent with the technology of thepresent application.

FIG. 11 depicts a perspective view of a bearing coupled to the idle hubconsistent with the technology of the present application.

FIG. 12 depicts a perspective view of a drive and a portion of the wandconsistent with the technology of the present application.

FIG. 13 depicts a perspective view of a filtration system consistentwith the technology of the present application.

FIG. 14 depicts an alternative outlet port consistent with thetechnology of the present application.

FIG. 15 depicts a portion of the outlet port of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 depicts an alternative configuration of a portion of the wandand the cutting element consistent with the technology of the presentapplication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the technology of the present application are describedmore fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, which forma part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific exemplaryembodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the technology disclosedherein. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different formsand should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments setforth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not tobe taken in a limiting sense. Moreover, the technology of the presentapplication will be described with relation to exemplary embodiments.The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments. Additionally, unless specificallyidentified otherwise, all embodiments described herein should beconsidered exemplary. As mentioned above, hand trimming as is allowed bythe technology of the present application is gentler on plants thanindustrial or large plant trimming apparatuses in the normal course. Thehand trimming technology of the present application advantageously alsoallows for the harvested material to be hang dried prior to curingrather than using drying racks prior to curing, which some growersprefer.

FIG. 1 shows an automatic handheld plant trimming system 100. Theautomatic handheld plant trimming system 100 includes a wand 102, amotor 104 (which may have an external power source 105 such as a wallsocket to grid power or a battery pack as shown), and a vacuum 106,which is shown as a conventional wet/dry vacuum, but could be anyconventional suction pump. The motor 104 is connected to the wand 102via a drive 108. The drive 108 is shown as a flexible cable tofacilitate the movement of the handheld wand 102. In operation, therotation of the motor causes the drive 108 to rotate.

The motor 104 may be a variable speed motor with a speed controller 107.The speed controller 107 optionally is coupled to the vacuum 106 viacable 101 as well to allow coordination between the wand 102 speed andthe vacuum 106 speed as will be explained further below. The vacuum 106may be provided with a separate variable speed drive as a matter ofdesign choice. The wand 102 has a port 110 to which a flexible conduit112 is attached. The flexible conduit 112 is coupled to the port 110 ona first end 114 and the vacuum 106 inlet port 116 on a second end 118opposite the first end. The vacuum 106 also has a discharge with afiltration system as will be explained further below. The flexibleconduit 112 may be coupled to one or both of the wand 102 or the drive108 using one or more ties 111. The ties may comprise twist ties,VELCRO® hook and loop ties, or the like. Coupling the flexible conduit112 in this manner facilitates operation of the device. Moreover, theflexible conduit 112 and a wand handle 202 of the wand 102 may becoupled in a manner to form a loop 120 construct similar to, forexample, a saber grip. The vacuum 106 may be provided with a separatevariable speed drive and motor as a matter of design choice. Theautomatic handheld plant trimming system 100 may be provided with afemale socket to receive a male plug such that the vacuum 106 motor andcontroller may be powered from the system power supply (whether abattery pack, generator, or wall socket).

With reference now to FIG. 2, the wand 102 is shown in more detail. Thewand 102 includes the aforementioned wand handle 202, an outlet port204, and a wand inlet tube 206. The wand 102 may comprise a singlemonolithic unit or may be modular. The wand 102 forms a generallycylindrical tube having a wand axis 208 extending longitudinally from awand tip 201 to a wand base 203. The outlet port 204 has a port axis 210generally perpendicular to the wand axis 208. While the outlet port 204is shown roughly centered on the wand 102 between the wand handle 202and the wand inlet tube 206, the outlet port could be located inalternative locations. Additionally, the outlet port 204 could belocated at a base 203 of the wand handle 202 and arranged such that theport axis 210 is parallel to the wand axis 208. The port axis 210 iscurrently shown perpendicular to the wand axis 208. As mentioned, theport axis 210 being parallel (or offset by zero degrees) to the wandaxis 208 is possible, and would facilitate movement of product. Reducingthe angle of the port axis 210 to wand axis 208 to less than aboutforty-five degrees facilitates movement of product. In some embodiments,the angle should be less than about twenty degrees. Of course, any anglebetween zero and ninety is possible.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the wand 102. The wand 102 houses ahollow, cylindrical cutting element 302 (best seen in FIG. 5), which isshown as a pair of helically shaped blades 304 each having a leadingedge cutting surface 306. While shown as helically shaped, the cuttingelements 302 may be any curved shape. The wand inlet tube 206 has anelongated slot 308 that has a cutting edge 310. The elongated slot 308allows plant product access to the cutting area where the cuttingsurface 306 and the cutting edge 310 meet. The cutting element 302 hasan outer diameter about equal to the inner diameter of the wand inlettube 206 to minimize any gap between the cutting surface 306 and thecutting edge 310. The helical shape of the blades 304 in part simulate ascissor motion comparable to handheld scissors for trimming As will beexplained further below, the vacuum 106 provides a suction force at theelongated slot 308 through the flexible conduit 112 and wand outlet port204. The suction force helps draw and stand the plant product in theelongated slot 308 such that the cutting surface 306 forces the plantproduct against the cutting edge 310 to provide a cut or shearing force,similar to a scissor, to slice rather than tear the plant product, whichminimizes damage to the plant product.

With reference to FIGS. 4-12, the parts of the wand 102 will bedescribed in some detail. The parts will be described in connection withthe assembly of a modular wand 102. However, the wand 102, or certaincomponent parts explained herein, may be a monolithic unit or units incertain embodiments. First, the outlet port 204 is coupled to the wandinlet tube 206. The wand inlet tube 206 has an outer diameter D₁. Theoutlet port 206 comprises a through bore 402 generally collinear withthe wand axis 208. The through bore 402 has an inner diameter D₂slightly larger than the outer diameter D₁ to allow the wand inlet tube206 to be slidingly received in the through bore 402. As shown, aportion first thread 401 on the wand inlet tube 206 extends beyond theoutlet port 204. The wand inlet tube 206 has a second thread 403arranged on the opposite side of the wand inlet tube 206 from the firstthread 401. The threads will be further explained below. The outlet port206 has an outlet bore 404 (see FIG. 3) that is shown substantiallyperpendicular to the through bore 402. The outlet bore 404 is shownsubstantially cylindrical, but could have alternative shapes tofacilitate movement of the plant material from the wand 102 into theflexible conduit 112. One of many possible outlet ports have analternative outlet bore as shown in FIG. 14.

The wand inlet tube 206 and the outlet port 204 may be frictionallyengaged. Alternatively, the connection may be a snap fit connection. Instill other embodiments, the outlet bore 204 may include a locking bore406 or bores 406 capable of receiving a set screw 408 or set screws 408sthat is/are receivable in an aligned, threaded bore 410 or bores on thewand inlet tube 206. Alternatively, the set screw 408 may abut the outersurface of the wand inlet tube 206 rather than engage an aligned bore.The set screw 408 may be tightened using an Allen wrench 409 as shown.Of course, the set screw could be replaced by a pin, rivet, or the like.

The cutting element 302 is next prepared for insertion into the wandinlet tube 206 such that the cutting element 302 is rotatingly coupledto the wand 102. The cutting element 302 has a proximal end (or bottom)502 and a distal end (or top) 504. The orientation of the proximal end502 and the distal end 504 ensures that the cutting surface 306 willmove across the elongated slot 308 in a clockwise direction. Notice, thecutting surface 306 could be oriented such that the cutting surface 306moves across the elongated slot 308 in a counter-clockwise direction. Instill other embodiments, both the leading edge 506 and the trailing edge508 may be formed into cutting surfaces 306 such that the orientation orrotation of the cutting element 302 is not overly relevant forperformance.

As shown in FIG. 6, a driver hub 602 has a bottom disc 604 and a driveshaft 606. The drive shaft 606 has a groove 610. The groove 610 includesa central hole and a radially extending slot or channel. The slot mayextend from a surface 608 of the drive shaft 606 internal to the centralhole of the groove. The groove 610 extends from a proximal end 612 ofthe driver hub towards, but not completely, to the distal end 614 of theshaft 606. The groove 610 acts as a keyway for the drive 108 as will beexplained further below. The bottom disc 604 has a pin bore 616 toreceive a pin 618. The bottom disc 604 of the drive hub 602 is insertedinto the proximal end 502 (or bottom) of the cutting element 302 untilthe pin 618 seats against divots 702 (FIG. 5) in the proximal end 502 ofthe cutting element 302 as shown in FIG. 7.

The distal end 504 of the cutting element 302 receives an idle hub 802as shown in FIG. 8. The idle hub 802 comprises a top disc 804 and analignment shaft 806. The alignment shaft has a central alignment bore808. The top disc 804 has a pin bore 810 to receive a pin 812. The topdisc 804 of the idle hub is inserted into the distal end 504 (or top) ofthe cutting element 302 until the pin 812 seats against divots 902 (FIG.5) in the distal end 504 of the cutting elements as shown in FIG. 9. Ascan be appreciated, the driver hub 602 and the idle hub 802 are similarin construction and how they are coupled to the cutting element.

The cutting element 302, with the driver hub 602 and the idle hub 802,is received in the outlet port 204 and the wand inlet tube 206 as shownin FIG. 10. A bearings 1002 is coupled to the driver hub 602 by slidinga bearing 1002 over the drive shaft 606 of the driver hub 602 as shownin FIG. 10. Similarly, a bearing 1002 is coupled to the idle hub 802 bysliding a bearing 1002 over the alignment shaft 806 (FIG. 11). Withreference back to FIGS. 2 and 3, housings 1102 _(1,2) are threaded ontothe threads 403 and 401 of the wand inlet tube 206. The housing 1102 ₁proximate the idle hub 802 has a blind hole 1104. One of the bearings1002 fits in the blind hole 1104 and allows the cutting element torotate with respect to the housing 1102 ₁. The housing 1102 ₂ has athrough bore with a countersunk shoulder 1106 (see FIG. 3) on which thebearing 1002 rests to allow the cutting element 302 and driver hub 602to rotate with respect to the housing 1102 ₂.

The motor 104 and the driver hub 602 are coupled using the drive 108.The drive 108, which is shown as a flexible cable, is threaded throughthe wand handle 202 as shown in FIG. 12. The drive 108 terminates in arotor 1202 having a protrusion 1204. The protrusion 1204, or key,engages the groove 610, or keyway, in a frictional arrangement. As canbe appreciated, when the motor 104 is turned on, the motor rotation istransmitted through the drive 108 to the rotor 1202. The protrusion1204, which is engaged with the groove 610, rotates with the rotor 1202.Correspondingly, the driver hub 602 rotates. The pin 618 traversing thepin bore 616 rotates with the driver hub 602. The pin 618 are engagedwith the detents 702 of the cutting element 302, which in turn cause thecutting element to rotate in the wand 102. The wand handle 202 isthreaded onto the threads 401 on the wand inlet tube 206.

As can be appreciated, because the diameter of the cutting element 302is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the wand inlet tube 206,the cutting element 302 is provided hollow to allow for movement of theplant parts after trimming. Essentially, the vacuum 106 causes a suctionthat draws the plant part from the elongated slot 308, past the cuttingelement 302 into a void 301 internal to the cutting element 302 and wandinlet tube 206. The suction further causes the plant parts to traveldown the void towards the outlet port 204 and through the flexibleconduit 112 to the vacuum. While the diameter of the cutting element 302is shown as approximately equal to the inner diameter of the wand inlettube 206, the diameter of the wand inlet tube 206 may be larger, whichwill be explained further below. The cutting surface 306 of the cuttingelement 302 generally passes in close proximity to the cutting edge 310of slot 308 in the of the wand inlet tube 206. If the designed in such amanner, generally the cutting element 302 and the wand inlet tube 206are offset providing space between the cutting element 302 and an innerwall of the wand inlet tube 206 at a location opposite the slot 308,which allows product to be moved laterally along the handle 202 outsideof the cutting element 302.

The plant parts travel the flexible conduit 112 to the inlet of thevacuum 106. The vacuum 106 may contain a filtration system similar to aconventional wet/dry vacuum, for example. In such a case, the plantparts enter the drum 121 of the vacuum 106. A filter (not specificallyshown but generally known in the art) is coupled to the outlet of thevacuum 106 to prevent solids of a certain particle size from exiting thevacuum 106 such that the plant parts (all of them over the predefinedparticle size) are collected in a cavity of the drum 121. As can beappreciated, however, each of the different parts of a plant may have adifferent use or value. Thus, it may be beneficial to provide analternative filter bag collection system 1300 at either the inlet oroutlet of the vacuum to separate the plant parts. While more or lessfilter/collectors are possible, FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplaryfiltration system comprising filter bags 1302, 1304, and 1306. Thefilter bags 1302, 1304, and 1306 are described with respect to beingattached to the outlet of the vacuum 106. The filter bag collectionsystem 1300 may be attached to a tube extending from the outlet port bya hook and loop cinch belt, string, cord, or the like as well as otherfastening means. The first filter bag 1302 has a first filter mesh 1303.The first filter mesh 1303 is the largest mesh opening. The secondfilter bag 1304 has a second filter mesh 1305 and is located between thefirst filter bag 1302 and the third filter bag 1306 in this exemplaryembodiment. The second filter mesh 1305 may have medium mesh openings(as compared to the first filter bag 1302 and the third filter bag1306). The third filter bag 1306 has the smallest filter mesh 1307. Theparticles not retained by the third filter bag 1306 may be exhausted orblocked by other upstream filters. From the outside in, because thefilter bag collection system 1300 is coupled to the outlet, the thirdfilter bag is contained in the second filter bag that is contained inthe first filter bag. The first, second, and third filter bags mayinclude support structure to inhibit the bags from collapsing due to thesuction of the vacuum. Alternatively, the filter bag collection system1300 may be coupled to the inlet of the vacuum 106.

We reference now to FIGS. 14 and 15, an alternative outlet port 1400 isprovided. As mentioned above, outlet port 204 provides a generally“T”-shaped junction or right angle connection to the wand inlet tube206. The outlet port 1400 rather than a “T”-shape comprises an elongatedshape with a wand inlet tube 206 receiving portion 1402, which wouldcomprise a bore 1404 shaped to receive the wand inlet tube 206. Theoutlet port 1400 further comprises a funnel portion 1406 that tapersfrom the receiving portion 1402 to a discharge 1408. The funnel portion1406 would converge to a generally circular opening 1410 to receive theflexible conduit 112 similar to the embodiments described above. Asshown in FIG. 15, the receiving portion 1402 would have an elongatedinlet 1412 to the funnel portion 1406. The funnel portion 1406 wouldguide the plant parts to the circular opening 1410 at the discharge intothe flexible conduit 112.

As shown and described above, the outer diameter of the cutting element302 is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the wand inlet tube206. The size of the cutting element 302 is controlled to provide asclose a fit between the cutting surface 306 and the cutting edge 310 tocut the plants without, or at least with limited, tearing. However,other than where the cutting surface 306 passes the cutting edge 310,the cutting element 302 and the inner surface of the wand inlet tube 206do not necessarily need to be in close relation. With reference to FIG.16, an alternative wand inlet tube 1600 is shown in cross section. Thewand inlet tube 1600 contains a longitudinal axis 1602 at the geometriccenter of the wand inlet tube 1600 in this exemplary shape. The cuttingelement 302 is located proximal an inlet port 1604 of the wand inlettube 1600 to provide the scissor like cutting of the plant parts. Thecutting element 302 has a longitudinal axis 1606 at a rotational centerthat is offset a distance 1601 from the longitudinal axis 1602. Thus,the void 1608 of the wand inlet tube 1600 provides for a part 1610internal to the blades of the cutting element 302 and a part 1612external to the cutting element 302.

The wand inlet tube 1600 comprises a base 1620 proximal the wand handle202 (FIG. 2). As shown, the base 1620 may include an outlet port 1622.The outlet port 1622 is offset from the longitudinal axis 1602 in adirection different than the offset for the rotational center. As can beappreciated, the outlet port 1622 is parallel with the longitudinal axisof the wand inlet tube 1600 rather than perpendicular, as shown anddescribed above. While the helical blade described above may be used forthe configuration of the device shown in FIG. 16, the cutting element302 may be solid in certain aspects rather than hollow. In thisexemplary embodiment, the cutting surface may be formed by milling agroove in an outer surface of the cutting element 302 to form thecutting surface 308.

Although the technology has been described in language that is specificto certain structures, materials, and methodological steps, it is to beunderstood that the invention defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific structures, materials, and/or stepsdescribed. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as formsof implementing the claimed invention. Since many embodiments of theinvention can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafterappended. Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers or expressions, suchas those expressing dimensions, physical characteristics, etc. used inthe specification (other than the claims) are understood as modified inall instances by the term “approximately.” At the very least, and not asan attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents tothe claims, each numerical parameter recited in the specification orclaims which is modified by the term “approximately” should at least beconstrued in light of the number of recited significant digits and byapplying ordinary rounding techniques. Moreover, all ranges disclosedherein are to be understood to encompass and provide support for claimsthat recite any and all subranges or any and all individual valuessubsumed therein. For example, a stated range of 1 to 10 should beconsidered to include and provide support for claims that recite any andall subranges or individual values that are between and/or inclusive ofthe minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, allsubranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more and ending with amaximum value of 10 or less (e.g., 5.5 to 10, 2.34 to 3.56, and soforth) or any values from 1 to 10 (e.g., 3, 5.8, 9.9994, and so forth).

What is claimed is:
 1. A plant trimming apparatus comprising: a wand,the wand having a wand longitudinal axis comprising: a wand inlet tubedefining a void and having a proximal end and a distal end opposite theproximal end, the wand inlet tube comprising an elongate slot placingthe void in fluid communication with an exterior of the wand inlet tubean outlet port having a first bore parallel to the wand longitudinalaxis and an second bore, the proximal end of the wand inlet tubereceivable in the first bore, the second bore in fluid communicationwith the void, and a cutting element rotatably contained in the voiddefined by the wand inlet tube, a handle, the handle coupled to at leastone of the proximal end of the wand inlet tube or the outlet port; amotor operationally coupled to the cutting element such that the motorrotates the cutting element; a drum in fluid communication with thesecond bore; and a vacuum coupled to the outlet port, wherein the vacuumcauses flow between the wand inlet tube and the drum.
 2. The apparatusof claim 1 wherein the vacuum is coupled to the outlet port by aflexible conduit.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second bore ofthe outlet port is an outlet bore and the outlet bore has an axisperpendicular to the wand longitudinal axis.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the second bore of the outlet port is an outlet bore and theoutlet bore has an axis parallel to the wand longitudinal axis.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the cutting element is hollow and comprisesa plurality of curved cutting blades.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5wherein each of the curved cutting blades has a cutting surface and theelongate slot has a cutting edge wherein the cutting surface rotates inclose relation to the cutting edge to slice at least a plant part. 7.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wand inlet tube has a first innerdiameter and the cutting element has a first outer diameter wherein thefirst inner diameter and the first outer diameter are approximatelyequal.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wand inlet tube has afirst inner diameter and the cutting element has a first outer diameterwherein the first inner diameter is greater than the first outerdiameter.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the wand inlet tube has anaxis at a geometric center of the wand inlet tube that is parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the wand and wherein the cutting element has arotational axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wand and offseta distance from the geometric center of the wand inlet tube.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 5 wherein the void defined by the wand inlet tubecomprises a first part internal to hollow cutting element and a secondpart external to the hollow cutting element.
 11. The apparatus of claim1 wherein the handle is part of the wand and opposite the wand inlettube.
 12. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the handle is at least one ofthe second bore and the flexible conduit.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the second port comprises: a receiving portion shaped tocooperatively receive the wand inlet tube, the receiving portioncomprising an inlet in fluid communication with the void; a dischargeportion shaped to cooperatively receive a conduit placing the void influid communication with the drum; and a funnel portion extendingbetween the receiving portion and the discharge portion.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 13 wherein the inlet comprises an elongate slot. 15.The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the funnel portion tapers from thereceiving portions to the discharge portion.
 16. The apparatus of claim13 wherein the discharge portion has a circular cross-sectional shape.17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the motor is operationally coupledto the cutting blade in part by a cable drive.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 1 further comprising a filtration bag collection system.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 18 wherein the filtration bag collection systemcomprises at least a first bag having a first mesh size and a second baghaving a second mesh size wherein the first mesh size and the secondmesh size are different.
 20. A method of trimming a plant productcomprising: providing a wand comprising a wand inlet tube defining avoid and a cutting element having a curved cutting surface rotatablymounted in the wand inlet tube, wherein the wand inlet tube has anopening; placing the wand and a container in fluid communication;rotating the cutting element in the wand inlet tube; touching the wandto the plant products such that plant product enters the void throughthe slot and the curve cutting surface cuts the plant product from aplant as the cutting element rotates; and moving the plant product fromthe void to the container.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the stepof moving comprises moving the wand in a radial direction against theplant product.
 22. The method of claim 20 wherein rotating the cuttingelement comprises selecting a speed of rotation.
 23. The method of claim20 wherein moving the plant product from the void to the containercomprises using a vacuum to pull the plant product from the void througha conduit to the container.
 24. The method of claim 23 furthercomprising filtering the plant product as it enters the container.